Relatives in Mahabharata

Here, we can discuss all the names people called their relatives in MB.

I feel like the most common terms from MB-original are probably 'maatra'/'taat'/'bhrata'/'pitamaha' etc.

Then, BA mentioned Pitrashwasa for Bua, which I had also found in some of the Bengali translations. These terms are pretty standard when talking about a person in the third person.

Originally posted by: BrhannadaArmour

Did you know that the characters didn't call each other by kinship terms ending in "śrī?" Kṛṣṇa calls Pṛthā "Pitṛṣvasaḥ" in Saṃskṛta (not Hindi "Buāśrī") on at least one occasion, but generally, they called their elders by name or by patronymic/matronymic. Women were indicated by their sons' names as Lakṣmaṇamātṛ, Vṛṣasenamātṛ, Suṣeṇamātṛ, Indrasenasya jananī etc.

What did people refer to relatives while talking to them directly?

We can also discuss which other such generic terms were used to refer to people in conversation.

Tum log bahot padhayi karwaoge yaar 😭 I've never read the epic, only the Bhagwad Gita. Baki sab TV which I know is to be taken with a handful of salt😆

I'mma enjoy the discussions. Keep them short and nice😳

Originally posted by: DelusionsOfNeha

Tum log bahot padhayi karwaoge yaar 😭 I've never read the epic, only the Bhagwad Gita. Baki sab TV which I know is to be taken with a handful of salt😆

I'mma enjoy the discussions. Keep them short and nice😳

Exactly! Hum kahan tv se inspired log aur kahan yeh philosophers😆

Let's use a colour code for the different grammatical forms (declensions):

Black for Nominative (subject of sentence), e.g. mātā

Green for Accusative (direct object), e.g. mātaram

Pink for Instrumental (action is done by), e.g. mātrā

Blue for Dative (indirect object), e.g. mātre

Tan for Ablative (subject proceeds from), e.g. mātuḥ

Teal for Genitive (subject belongs to), e.g. mātuḥ

Brown for Locative (subject is at), e.g. mātari

Purple for Vocative (addressing), e.g. mātaḥ

Originally posted by: DelusionsOfNeha

Tum log bahot padhayi karwaoge yaar 😭 I've never read the epic, only the Bhagwad Gita. Baki sab TV which I know is to be taken with a handful of salt😆

I'mma enjoy the discussions. Keep them short and nice😳

Aur nahi to kya, karlo padhai 😆

I've also never gotten around to reading the actual text/translation, I've only read bits and pieces of the Kaliprasanna translation and Rajashekhar Basu's Bengali short version. While Rajashekhar Basu included some language inspired from the actual text (from where I know a few words here and there), I'm still looking forward to learning from the more knowledgable members of the forum 

Originally posted by: sxursaep

Exactly! Hum kahan tv se inspired log aur kahan yeh philosophers

Areh, everybody started from something like that only na, isn't it thrilling to learn more about how those people from our 'that old book' walked and laughed and talked?! 

Originally posted by: BrhannadaArmour

Let's use a colour code for the different grammatical forms (declensions):

Black for Nominative (subject of sentence), e.g. mātā

Green for Accusative (direct object), e.g. mātaram

Pink for Instrumental (action is done by), e.g. mātrā

Blue for Dative (indirect object), e.g. mātre

Tan for Ablative (subject proceeds from), e.g. mātuḥ

Teal for Genitive (subject belongs to), e.g. mātuḥ

Brown for Locative (subject is at), e.g. mātari

Purple for Vocative (addressing), e.g. mātar

At this point I don't understand either English or Sanskrit😭

Why my languages leaving me like this 🥺

Originally posted by: metacrisis

Aur nahi to kya, karlo padhai 😆

I've also never gotten around to reading the actual text/translation, I've only read bits and pieces of the Kaliprasanna translation and Rajashekhar Basu's Bengali short version. While Rajashekhar Basu included some language inspired from the actual text (from where I know a few words here and there), I'm still looking forward to learning from the more knowledgable members of the forum 

Areh, everybody started from something like that only na, isn't it thrilling to learn more about how those people from our 'that old book' walked and laughed and talked?! 

Itna sab already padhna hai .. but yeah, it is fun 

I'll start the discussion with this passage (Ādiparvan 104.1-4) that introduces a few common kinship terms:

Śūro nāma Yadu-śreṣṭho Vasudeva-pitā'bhavat

A Yadu leader named Śūra was the father (pitā - nominative) of Vasudeva.

tasya kanyā Pṛthā nāma rūpeṇ'āsadṛśī bhuvi

His girl-child (kanyā - nominative) named Pṛthā had looks unmatched on earth.

paitṛ-ṣvaseyāya sa tām anapatyāya vīryavān

agryam agre pratijñāya svasy'āpatyasya vīryavān

agra-jāte'ti tāṃ kanyām agry'ānugraha-kāṅkṣiṇe

pradadau KuntiBhojāya sakhā sakhye mahā'tmane

To his father's sister's son (paitṛ-ṣvaseyāya - dative), who was without offspring (anapatyāya - dative), that valiant man previously promised her, the foremost (agryam - accusative) of his own offspring (svasya apatyasya - genitive), the valiant man, and as she was firstborn (agra-jātā - nominative), as a friend (sakhā - nominative) he shared that girl-child (kanyām - accusative) with his grand-natured friend (sakhye - dative) Kunti Bhoja who hoped for the foremost as a favour.

sā niyuktā pitur gehe devatā'tithi-pūjane

In her father's (pitur - genitive) house, she was appointed to honour deities and guests.

^^Thanks for sharing! This is quite a simple example only, right?

Still, I've always admired Sanskrit's ability to just keep combining words to create poetry!

As far as I know, there aren't any complex kinship terms in Mahābhārata.

There are no words for second/third cousin, once/twice-removed, or stepmother, for example.

Does anyone want to discuss what Character A called Character B? I am just sharing examples as I remember them or come across them.